In a positive development, the CBI has taken over the custody of former RJD MP Mohammed Shahabuddin.

Shahabuddin
is serving life imprisonment in Tihar jail in connection with the
murder of Bihar-based journalist Rajdeo Ranjan. After complaints of
receiving preferential treatment in Bihar's Siwan jail, senior
lawyer-cum-activist Prashant Bhushan had fought the case in the
Supreme Court to move Shahabuddin to Tihar jail, where he is
currently lodged.

In
Focus

On
Monday, Shahabuddin was taken to CBI headquarters in New Delhi for
further questioning in the case. The CBI had on Friday named
Shahabuddin as the accused in the murder case.

The
case is being heard in Muzzafarpur and Shahabuddin was produced in
the court via video conferencing. The CBI has informed the court that
it needs to hold a custodial interrogation of the accused, and the
court granted it access to Shahabuddin.

Shahabuddin
has been accused of murdering Rajdeo Ranjan, a journalist with a
Hindi daily. Ranjan's wife had named Shahabuddin as the prime accused
in the case. Shahabuddin is also facing criminal proceedings in about
40 other cases including cases of serious crimes like that of murder
and kidnapping.